Train order device



May 18, 1943 E. T. FORD TRAIN ORDER DEVICE Filed NOV. 10, 1942 311mmEdward 1 ,Fbrb

Patented May 18, 1943 l ram 01mm DEVICE 7 Edward Tr'Ford, Bed Key, Ind,assignor of oneha'lflto H. F. Rogers, Red Key, Ind.

Application November 10, 1942, Serial No. 465,137 3 Claims. (01. 25s 2sThis invention relates to train order delivery and receiving devicesespecially adapted to permit. orders to be conveniently and safelydelivered to moving trains, and has for the primary object the provisionof a device of the above stated character which will be extremely simpleto adapt orders thereto and to bring said;orders in position of deliveryone at a time, and a receiver located on the train whereby a member ofthe train crew may conveniently move said receiver into and out ofposition of catching an order with danger of missing or losing the'ordereliminated.

With these and other objects in View as will become more apparent as thedescription proceeds, the invention consists in certain novel featuresof construction, combination and arrangement ofparts which will behereinafter more fully described and claimed.

For a complete understanding of my invention, refence is to be had tothe following description and accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 isa side elevation, 'partly in section, illustrating a train order deviceconstructed in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional View taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure 1.

, ported by a base 6 located adjacent a railroad track. The upper end ofthe post is shaped readily engaged by a receiving device [9 mounted on atrain, a fragmentary portion of which is indicated by the character 20.

Each gripping device l8 is in the form of a coil portion to grip theflexible element and an attaching shank suitably secured to the head 43.The coil portions have sufficient tension to efficiently grip theflexible elements when placed therein but which will permit the flexibleelements be disengaged therefrom when the receiving device catches theflexible elements, conseto form an inclined bearing surface 7 on which Iis journaled a table 8 including spaced opposed bearings 9 and H] whichrotatably support a,

shaft ll equipped at one end with a hand piece I2 for the rotation ofthe shaft in either direction. The other end of the shaft H is providedwith a head It of substantially triangular shape.

Pairs of diverging fingers M are secured to the head B. The free ends ofthe fingers are notched, as shown at 15, to receive looped flexibleelements It to which are secured orders ll. After the flexible elementshave been passed through the notched ends of the fingers 14 they arebrought into gripping members 18 secured to the head l3 for holding theflexible elements taut and cooperating with the lingers in supportingsaid flexible elements in substantially triangular shaped formation sothat they may be quently permitting the flexible elements to be removedfrom a pair of fingers without danger of breaking.

To releasably secure the table 8 from rotation on the bearing surface Ia pin 2| is provided. This pinmay be inserted in either of the openings22 of the table to extend into either of the openings 23 of the bearingsurface. The withdraw-a1 of the pin from either of the openings of thebearing surface will permit a person to readily rotate the table on thebearing surface to position the device as shown in full lines or indotted lines in Figure 1. When in the dotted line position, the fingersM are located in close proximity to the ground so that the flexibleelement bearing the orders I! may be conveniently applied to the fingersand the gripping devices l8.

After the application of the orders to the fingers, they may be readilybrought into position, as shown in full lines in Figure 1, ready to becaught by the receiving device l9 by rotating the table on the inclinedbearing surface I. To sustain the tableagainst accidental rotation, thepin 2| enters one of the openings 23 of the inclined bearing surface.

Due to the triangular shaped portion I 3, either pair of fingers may bebrought into position of supporting an order ready to be caught on thereceiving device l9 by rotating the shaft II. To prevent accidentalrotation of the shaft l I, a pin 24 is carried by the bearing l0 and isadapted to enter an opening in the shaft H. The pin 24 may be withdrawnfrom the opening of the shaft I l whenever it is desired to rotate theshaft I I by the hand piece I 2.

To limit the rotation of the shaft H, to onehalf revolution, a pin 25 issecured to the shaft ll and oppositely arranged shoulders 26 areprovided on the bearing Ill. The pin 25 when engaged with said shoulderswill limit the rotation of the shaft and by the arrangement of theshoulders the shaft may be only rotated one-half revolution in eachdirection which is sufficient to bring either pair of fingers intoposition of supporting an order to be taken up by the receiver l9 on thetrain.

The receiver 19 consists of a mounting 26 which pivotally supports a rodor arm 21 provided on a portion thereof with spaced pins 28. The pivotedend of the arm 27 is enlarged and provided with spaced shoulders 29either of which may be engaged by a pivoted catch 30 on the mounting 26.A plunger 31 is slidably supported by the mounting 26 for the operationof the catch so that it may be disengaged from either of the shoulders29 when desired. The pivot of the arm 2'! is in the form of a shaft 32provided with a finger 'piece 33. The finger piece 33 i employed by amember of the train crew for swinging the arm into and out of themounting, and when out of the mounting, as shown in Figure 3 in fulllines, is in a position to engage a flexible element of an ordersupported by a pair of the fingers l4. When the arm 21 is either swunginto or out of the mounting, as shown in Figure 3, the catch 30 engageswith a shoulder 29 thereby locking the arm 21 against accidentalmovement, requiring that the catch 30 be elevated out of the notchbefore the arm 21 may be manually moved into either of its positions.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of myinvention, it will be understood that minor changes in construction,combination and arrangement of parts may be made without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

1. In a train order device, a vertical post including an inclinedbearing surface, a table journaled on said bearing surface, means forreleasably securing the table to said bearing surface, a shaft journaledon the table, means carried by said shaft for removably supporting trainorders, means for securing said shaft against rotation, and means forlimiting the rotation of said shaft in either direction when released.

2. In a train order device, a vertical post, a turntable journaled onthe upper end of said post and disposed at an inclination thereto, ashaft rotatably supported at an inclination by said turntable androtatable with the latter for raising and lowering the ends of saidshaft, and a pair of order holders secured to one end of the shaft.

3. In a train order device, a vertical post, a turntable journaled onthe upper end of said post and disposed at an inclination thereto, ashaft rotatably supported at an inclination by said turntable androtatable with the latter for raising and lowering the ends of saidshaft, a pair of order holders secured to one end of the shaft, meansfor securing the turntable against rotation, and means for securing theshaft against rotation.

EDWARD T. FORD.

